Saudi
Arabia has stripped its controversial religious police of their powers
of arrest and has urged them to act 'kindly and gently' in enforcing
Islamic rules.
Under changes approved by the cabinet, religious
officers will no longer be allowed to detain people and instead must
report violators to police or drug squad officers, the official Saudi
Press Agency said yesterday.
Officers of the Haia force, also known
as the Mutawaa, must 'carry out the duties of encouraging virtue and
forbidding vice by advising kindly and gently' under the new rule.
Saudi Arabia has stripped its controversial religious police of their
powers of arrest and has urged them to act 'kindly and gently' in
enforcing Islamic rules
'Neither the heads nor members of the Haia
are to stop or arrest or chase people or ask for their IDs or follow
them - that is considered the jurisdiction of the police or the drug
unit,' the regulations say.
Saudi Arabia's religious police enforce
the country's strict interpretation of Islam including segregation of
the sexes and ensuring that women cover themselves from head-to-toe when
in public.
Formally known as the Commission for the Promotion of
Virtue and Prevention of Vice, its members also patrol shops to make
sure they are shuttered during prayers five times daily.
Their
tactics have regularly been the subject of controversy, most recently in
February when members were arrested for allegedly assaulting a young
woman outside a Riyadh shopping mall, local media said at the time.
In 2013, religious policemen were arrested after their patrol car
crashed into another vehicle during a chase that left two men dead.
Mutawaa members must be of 'good conduct and reputation' and must clearly display their identity cards, the new rules say.
A five-member advisory committee will provide suggestions to the
Mutawaa president - appointed by King Salman - on holding officers to
account for any violations or abuse.

The
religious police ensure women cover themselves from head-to-toe when in
public. In February, Haia chief Abdul Rahman al-Sanad was quoted as
denying his agency harasses or punishes people

Eman al-Nafjan, a well-known blogger on Saudi society, culture and women's issues, praised the changes.
'It's great. Finally!' she said, adding that cabinet acted 'because there have been so many cases' of Mutawaa wrongdoing.
Despite their controversial reputation, the officers do not have a
particularly noticeable presence in many parts of the Saudi capital.
This is the latest effort to curb the excesses of an agency which,
according to Saudi columnist Sajdi Al-Rouqi, did not in the past
hesitate to flog in public young men who did not know the time of
prayer.
In an article published in local media last month, Rouqi
called on the agency's members to improve its public image and explain
the 'noble objectives of their job'.
Other commentators have called for the Mutawaa's abolition.
In 2013, cabinet removed from religious officers the power to
interrogate and press charges. But it maintained their right to arrest
people using alcohol or drugs and committing certain other offences
including witchcraft.

Abuses allegedly continued but Nafjan said it felt like this time would be different.
'I'm very confident because there are so many people that are for these changes,' she said.
Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi, a former head of the holy city of Mecca's
religious police, welcomed the new regulations but said they perhaps
could have come sooner.
'I believe it's a very good change' for the
roughly 5,000 Haia members, Ghamdi said.The agency has an 'important
message for the people' but some of its members have misunderstood
Islam which is a 'very kind' religion, he said.
There was no immediate comment from the Mutawaa and its website could not be accessed on Wednesday.
In February, Haia chief Abdul Rahman al-Sanad was quoted as denying his agency harasses or punishes people.
He said it seeks simply to improve behaviour, Arab News reported.

Officers
of the Haia force, also known as the Mutawaa, must 'carry out the
duties of encouraging virtue and forbidding vice by advising kindly and
gently' under the new rules. A five-member advisory committee will
provide suggestions to the Mutawaa president - appointed by King Salman
(above)

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